Associate Manager, Category Management - Baskin-Robbins

Inspire; Canton (MA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 133,000; Full time

Job summary

Inspire is seeking an Associate Category Management Manager for Baskin-Robbins U.S. core and Cakes/Take Home lines.

You will help execute product launches, maintain category programs, and drive sales and profit while collaborating with marketing, culinary, and IT teams. You’ll draft menus and pricing, ensure consistent product storytelling across assets, and support strategic category initiatives with leadership input.

Qualifications

• 4 Year Degree in Marketing, Business Management or Related field.
• 2+ Years working in marketing, brand strategy, category management or related expertise.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, multi-task, prioritize and be detail oriented.
• Experience with new product development preferred.
• Business acumen, including understanding of market trends, consumers and P&L fluency.
• Ability to think strategically and creatively.
• Ability to collect and synthesize information, making it relevant, understandable, and actionable for key stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, especially the ability to explain difficult concepts in applicable business terms.
• Strong ability to summarize strategies into (PowerPoint) presentations in clear and understandable message.
• Self-starter personality who can operate with some supervision.
• Ideal candidate has an inquisitive nature, a passion for learning and solving problems and a growth mindset.
• Passion for ice cream and cake!

Responsibilities

• Participates in the execution of product launches and category programs for Cakes and Take Home categories
• Supports the successful execution of product launches and category programs through readiness materials, planograms, testing, communications and collaboration.
• Partners with digital and IT teams to support the category on digital channels and technology (POS).
• Draft category menu and pricing strategies and culinary and creative briefs based on ongoing performance, competition, macroeconomic trends, and consumer insights.
• Ensure the product positioning and story comes to life across all marketing assets and readiness materials.
• Work with Director to define and refine product and category strategies to meet brand business objectives.
• Support product focused programs to drive sales and traffic grounded in a compelling business case, including sales and profit forecasts and franchisee profitability evaluation.
• Assist with the development of the brand product calendar and ad-hoc projects, presentations and reports to support the Director of Category Management and Baskin-Robbins Marketing team.
• Become an expert of the categories in order to overcome challenges, define and execute opportunities for growth.
• Energize our team, agencies and system around marketing programs.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders such as Culinary Innovation, Brand Experience, Integrated Marketing Communications, Restaurant Excellence, Supply Chain, POS, Franchisees and others to develop and launch products.
• Collaborates with and provides constructive feedback to agency partners, co-brand partners and vendors to improve how product is executed for consumers.

Skills

Communication skills

Presentation skills

Strategic thinking

Creative thinking

Problem solving

Attention to detail

Self-starter

Growth mindset

Passion for ice cream and cake

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing/Business

Tools

PowerPoint

Job description

Supports the category management for Baskin-Robbins U.S. core and existing product lines for Cakes and Take Home. This roles supports the execution of product launches, maintenance of category programs and tactics to drive sales and profit for an iconic brand. The Associate Category Management Manager collaborates with the Manager of Category Management and Director of Category Management and Culinary Innovation to define product marketing objectives and strategies for the upcoming year and beyond.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Participates in the execution of product launches and category programs for Cakes and Take Home categories
• Supports the successful execution of product launches and category programs through readiness materials, planograms, testing, communications and collaboration.
• Partners with digital and IT teams to support the category on digital channels and technology (POS).
• Draft category menu and pricing strategies and culinary and creative briefs based on ongoing performance, competition, macroeconomic trends, and consumer insights.
• Ensure the product positioning and story comes to life across all marketing assets and readiness materials.

Partners with the Category Management Manager and Director to define product marketing objectives and strategies

• Work with Director to define and refine product and category strategies to meet brand business objectives.
• Support product focused programs to drive sales and traffic grounded in a compelling business case, including sales and profit forecasts and franchisee profitability evaluation.
• Assist with the development of the brand product calendar and ad-hoc projects, presentations and reports to support the Director of Category Management and Baskin-Robbins Marketing team.

Collaborates with teams to support the business

• Become an expert of the categories in order to overcome challenges, define and execute opportunities for growth.
• Energize our team, agencies and system around marketing programs.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders such as Culinary Innovation, Brand Experience, Integrated Marketing Communications, Restaurant Excellence, Supply Chain, POS, Franchisees and others to develop and launch products.
• Collaborates with and provides constructive feedback to agency partners, co-brand partners and vendors to improve how product is executed for consumers.

Requirements

• 4 Year Degree in Marketing, Business Management or Related field
• 2+ Years working in marketing, brand strategy, category management or related expertise
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, multi-task, prioritize and be detail oriented.
• Experience with new product development preferred.
• Business acumen, including understanding of market trends, consumers, competitors and P&L fluency.
• Ability to think strategically and creatively.
• Ability to collect and synthesize information, making it relevant, understandable, and actionable for key stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, especially the ability to explain difficult concepts in applicable business terms. Strong ability to summarize strategies into (PowerPoint) presentations in clear and understandable message.
• Self-starter personality who can operate with some supervision.
• Ideal candidate has an inquisitive nature, a passion for learning and solving problems and a growth mindset.
• Passion for ice cream and cake!

Travel: 10-30% Periodically

Salary: $79,953 - $133,256 per year

The salary range above represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position. Actual placement within this range will vary based on various factors including but not limited to experience, education, training, and location.

Inspire is a multi-brand restaurant company whose portfolio includes more than 33,300 Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC restaurants worldwide. We’re made up of some of the world’s most iconic restaurant brands, but we’re much more than just a restaurant company. We’re a team of hundreds of thousands who individually and collectively are changing the way people eat, drink, and gather around the table. We know that food is much more than a staple—it’s an experience. At Inspire, that’s our purpose: to ignite and nourish flavorful experiences.